Today: Are You Better Off Than You Were 10 Years Ago?

Ten years after the financial crisis, and amid a strong economy, many Americans are still struggling to recover.

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Are You Better Off Than You Were 10 Years Ago?

A decade ago this week, the Wall Street investment bank Lehman Bros. collapsed. Combined with the housing market crash and an economy in recession, it plunged the U.S. into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Though the wealthiest 5% of Americans have seen their income rise substantially, many average folks are still struggling to get their lives back in order. In Southern California, home prices in many areas are near their historic highs, but not in places like Victorville. Though the economy is booming, some question whether we are ready for the next recession. And columnist Michael Hiltzik thinks we’ve already forgotten some of the lessons of 10 years ago.

The 25th Dimension

After last week’s one-two punch of excerpts from Bob Woodward’s book “Fear” and an op-ed from an anonymous Trump administration official in the New York Times, the White House is still dealing with the fallout. Vice President Mike Pence disputed Woodward’s depiction of President Trump, denied engaging in any discussion about invoking the 25th Amendment to eject Trump from office and said he was willing to take a lie detector test to back up his denial of authoring the op-ed. Meanwhile, Democrats expressed alarm that the president had urged the Justice Department to find the op-ed’s author.

More Politics

-- Sen. Dianne Feinstein accused Trump of holding himself “above the law,” and warned that Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, viewed the president as an “oligarch” who cannot be investigated or tried for crimes.

-- Trump has agreed to give up his right to pursue millions of dollars in damages against porn actress Stormy Daniels in a move seeking to kill litigation over an illegal payoff to her.

CBS Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Leslie Moonves has resigned, becoming the highest-profile media executive yet to see his career collapse from the weight of sexual harassment allegations that have surfaced in the #MeToo era. The company says that CBS and Moonves will donate $20 million to organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace. Moonves has denied the allegations.

Friday Night Lights in the Trump Era

Santa Ana High School Principal Jeff Bishop says students from Aliso Niguel High School chanted “USA! USA!” and had signs expressing support for President Trump and proclaiming “We love White” and “Build the wall” when the teams played Friday night. That touched off a debate online: Was it a racial jab at Santa Ana’s predominantly Latino students by those at a school that’s mostly white? Or just a misunderstanding?

-- The two men running for California governor: A look at how eight elite San Francisco families funded Gavin Newsom’s political ascent and John Cox’s campaign was tripped up by his statements about the Holocaust and immigrants.

-- Director Karyn Kusama’s “Destroyer” is a noir thriller set in L.A. with a female detective, played by Nicole Kidman, at its center.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

The original Rin Tin Tin was born 100 years ago and starred in his first film, a silent picture in 1922, before working in talkies as the famous crime-fighting German shepherd. After he died in August 1932, several related dogs would carry on the role until 1959, including his son Rin Tin Tin Jr.

Rolly Crump is one of the most important designers in the development of early Disneyland, having worked on It’s a Small World, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion, among other cornerstones of the park. He’s also a rebel: A “smoke marijuana” poster once hung on his office door. Now 88, Crump hopes we don’t lose sight of what Disneyland once was.